1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to holding and organizing devices and, more specifically to a dental instrument mat which can be placed in an autoclave for sterilizing dental instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dental instrument mats are generally known and widely used by dentists to organize a variety of dental instruments while working a patient. Typically, the dental instrument mat includes a pair of longitudinally disposed racks, each having a plurality of spaced apart teeth which extend upwardly from a base portion. The teeth of the two racks are laterally aligned to form a plurality of laterally disposed holding slots, each being adapted to receive a dental instrument. When the dental instrument mat is placed on a tray, with the plurality of dental instruments resting in the plurality of holding slots, a dentist is able to keep his instruments organized while working on a patient.
After the dentist has finished a dental procedure, the instruments are cleaned and then placed longitudinally in a space between the two racks of the dental instrument mat, whereupon the mat is then placed in a sterilizing pouch which is then placed in an autoclave for sterilization. After sterilization, the mat and instruments are removed from the autoclave and the pouch and then the instruments are rearranged in the holding slots according to a desired order, which may be dictated by the dental procedure to be performed by the dentist.
In the sterilization process, the instruments must be handled when placing them in the space between the two racks and, following sterilization, when placing them back in the holding slots. Thus, after sterilization, the instruments must be handled prior to use by the dentist, thereby presenting a problem of potential contamination. Moreover, the additional handling steps require time and labor.